The hugely influential brewpub blamed the 2022 floods, but its demise reflects a once-booming industry now facing tough headwinds.
Newstead Brewing Co in Milton has closed permanently. The craft brewpub announced the closure in a lengthy social media post on Tuesday.
Newstead Brewing was one of the early movers in Brisbane’s craft beer scene, having originally opened on Doggett Street in Newstead in 2013, a few blocks over from fellow local brewer Green Beacon. Green Beacon still trades, but is fully owned by Japanese-based major Asahi.
“Being an OG of an industry, you aren’t immune to being taken advantage of nor making mistakes,” the post from Newstead Brewing read, before apportioning much of the reasoning behind the closure to the pandemic and, in particular, the 2022 floods.
“It’s heartbreaking for us all, that in these times of industry crisis, we just couldn’t weather this final storm.
“From Doggett St to Milton, it has been an honour serving you all.”
Newstead Brewing Co owner Peter Howes didn’t respond to request for comment on Wednesday morning, but head of operations Michelle Thompson had reiterated to industry website The Crafty Pint the debilitating effects of the floods, which shut down brewing in Milton for seven months.
“When we flooded in 2022 … that was the end,” Thompson said. “That was the do-or-die moment [and] we were really performing CPR for the last three years since that time.”
Newstead Brewing Co’s last day of trade was March 6, with The Crafty Pint reporting that staff were informed just before the brewery closed for the final time.
Newstead Brewing Co was founded by Mark Howes and Michael Conrad. Conrad left the business in 2020, and Howes’ father Peter would later take over its day-to-day running.
Having opened in Newstead, the company expanded in 2017 to Castlemaine Street opposite Suncorp Stadium, in premises owned by the Howes family via their Howes Superannuation Fund business.
The brewer closed its Doggett Street outlet in 2023, with Mark Howes then launching a new craft brew brand, Working Title Brew Co, in the space with business partner Luke Shield – it remains a going concern.
Newstead’s demise comes against a backdrop of a struggling Australian craft brewing scene.
After a decade-long boom, the industry hit headwinds with the pandemic and the subsequent surge in inflation across the Australian economy, which came on top of costly regulatory requirements and a hefty alcohol excise that indexes bi-annually alongside inflation.
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
